


Fireside

by Reibunriinta



Category: Magi: Adventure of Sinbad (Anime), Magi: The Labyrinth of Magic
Genre: Angst, Gen, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-01-12
Packaged: 2019-10-08 19:51:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,299
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17392631
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Reibunriinta/pseuds/Reibunriinta
Summary: Kil and Drakon try to stay warm by the fire and Kil has a nightmare





	Fireside

**Author's Note:**

> I wrote this a few months ago and forgot to post it anywhere but the last fic I wrote with these two made me think about it. I like Kil's dynamic with Drakon because even though their circumstances couldn't be more different they manage to have a lot in common. Anyway enjoy!

“Oh there you are, we were just about to send someone to find you, we were getting worried!” 

Kil hung her head in shame as she handed up the basket of things she’d been asked to pick up from the market on her way back from the errands she'd volunteered to run. She felt rather embarrassed, sopping wet and coming back after dark when she'd promised to just take an hour tops. 

“I'm sorry ma’am, I didn't mean to take so long, I got caught in the rain and most of the shops were closed already. I managed to keep it from getting wet though.” She bowed at the waist then, respectfully. “Please forgive me.” 

Rurumu took the basket and shook her head. “You've nothing to apologize for, dear. You go and dry off now before you catch yourself a cold.” 

Straightening then, Kil nodded and shook off her pants at the mat so she didn't tract too much water into the house. She'd already wiped down her shoes of mud the best she could before coming inside; she didn't want to make even more work for the already busy staff. 

“Thank you, ma’am.” She hesitated a moment, looking back up at the other. “How is Sinbad?” 

“He'll be alright. He's sleeping now but I'll make sure and give him this medicine immediately. It’s nothing serious, I suspect he'll be better in just a few days. You've no need to worry, dear, now please go warm up before you get sick.” 

Nodding again, she made her way back to her room without another word. 

The rain was especially cold that night and Kil was absolutely miserable as she changed into some dry clothes and aggressively smacked her hair with a towel. She hadn't known when she volunteered to get Sinbad’s medicine that she would get caught in the downpour when it was at its worst but she would have gone anyway. Not only was she worried about Sinbad but everyone at the company had been unnecessarily kind to her so she felt that she owed it to them to help out wherever and whenever she could. 

Now she was exhausted though. Just taking her clothes off of her took a considerable amount of strength. Everything felt so heavy! 

Now that she was dressed and her hair was as dry as she could get it, she wrapped her blanket around herself and tiredly shuffled to the nearest fireplace to get warm. 

When she saw Drakon’s unmistakable silhouette she considered trying to find somewhere else, only because he looked deep in thought and she didn't wish to disturb him. Still, it was too cold to be wandering around in the gloom so she made her way over to the fireplace and plopped down besides him, teeth chattering.  
He didn't notice her at first but when she sighed in relief as the warmth of the fire washed over her, he gave a little start and blinked down at her. She managed a friendly nod. “Sorry, I'm just freezing.” 

He nodded politely. “It’s quite alright.” 

Drakon had only spoken to her once or twice in the time she'd been in the Sindria Trading Company, not because they had avoided one another so much as they just hadn't much of a reason to speak to each other. 

So naturally a hush fell over them and she didn't really mind. Most of the employees had turned in a bit earlier to beat the rain and those who were still awake were quiet so talking seemed a bit disruptive. 

Instead, Kil stared into the flames a moment before closing her eyes. That was her first mistake. 

Before she could think of happier things, for instance how nice she had it with these people, she got a sudden chill down her spine. She didn't need to question the mix of dread and familiarity of her surroundings. With her hair wet and heavy like this, wrapped up in a blanket but still cold as she desperately sought out the warmth of a fire, the first thing that came to mind was her days at the Mariadel company. 

Thoughts of the awful cold room, the times she’d spent what felt like an eternity in there, they suddenly weighed down on her mind. Having the physical feeling of it now, she couldn't help but feel like she was back there again. 

Snapping her eyes open she tried to distract herself and cleared her throat awkwardly. “Some weather we’re having, isn't it?” 

Drakon stirred a little, obviously broken from whatever he was thinking about, but he managed a stiff nod. “It’s dreadful. It’s bad enough when it's cold why must it be wet too, that's just cruel.” 

Kil stretched and nodded. “Tell me about it! I'm stiff enough as it is, I don't need all my joints aching.” 

She shrugged and glanced up at him then. “Though it’s probably worse for you, since you're a reptile and all…” 

She hoped that didn't sound rude; she knew he was still quite sensitive about his appearance. None of that had been properly explained to her other than he was once human and it had something to do with Sinbad's metal vessel. None of it was really any of her business though. 

In truth she'd just mentioned his sensitivity to the cold so she could ignore her own and the dark thoughts that nagged at the back of her mind, eating away at her fragile sense of security. 

He nodded tiredly. “It’s much harder to deal with the cold these days…” He shrugged a bit then, however. “Still, I'm fortunate to have a roof over head now. I'd much rather be achy and irritable than have to weather another storm alone in the wilderness.” 

“Oh same.” Kil blinked a bit before she reached toward the fire, staring down at her hands as she wiggled her fingers a bit. “When I was little I'd have to sneak into the city and find the first place I could break into for shelter. Sometimes when I got back a day or two later and my hollow tree would be full of water at the bottom and I'd have to try and soak it up with the leaves. I always hated that.” 

She spoke with a hint of nostalgia, her expression softening a little. She’d forgotten what it was like when her most complicated problem was how to dry up the bottom of her little hollow tree. She knew now that her childhood living alone in the woods was less than ideal, that she shouldn't really think back to it with fondness, but she missed when she didn't have to wrestle with her inner demons. A part of her wished she could be a kid again, that she wouldn't feel so terribly old and exhausted. She wasn't even sixteen years old yet! 

Drakon’s expression softened a little bit then and he nodded. “It’s all very difficult.” He sighed softly. “But we’re here now and that's what's most important.” 

They exchanged a little glance then and she knew it was a mixture of gratitude and relief with a little bit of pride. They'd both come to this company from a rough place, exhausted and more than a little damaged. Kil didn't have to know the details to know he struggled to feel like he belonged just as much as she did. 

She yawned softly then as silence fell upon them once more. Her eye drooped lazily shut an before she knew it she had fallen asleep. 

…

Drakon was more than a little surprised when she suddenly slumped against him, sound asleep after just a few minutes. He wasn't sure he'd ever seen someone fall asleep so suddenly. He wasn't sure what to do at first but then he gently eased her to the floor and retrieved a nearby cushion to put under her head. Once he made sure she was in a somewhat comfortable position he let her be and turned back to the fire quietly. 

He'd heard that Kil was normally quite standoffish to most and downright unpleasant when cross, so to be in her company so casually now was rather strange. In fact when she was asleep like this she seemed much more fragile, something of a lost child. 

Something about it made him feel a little emotional. She'd felt safe enough around him to sleep and from what he'd heard from the others she had a hard time trusting them, meaning this was something special. After going so long fearing he'd never have peaceful moments like this, he couldn't help but be comforted by it. 

He spent a while deep in thought as she slumbered next to him. He couldn't help but remember the times he'd been all alone and freezing in the rain, wondering why he had to suffer like this. He'd thought maybe it was what he deserved for choosing to become a monster. Now of course, when he wasn't cold and alone and scared, he knew that many people were cold and sad without doing anything to deserve it. He knew it wasn't his fault, he had done all he could and after being in the company he'd learned there was nothing wrong with his new appearance. 

He knew things were better now but the memories were still too close for comfort, he still sometimes felt so alone even while surrounded by people. Would that feeling ever really go away? 

His musings were cut short when he felt Kil tense up beside him. Looking down at her then, he frowned when he noticed she'd curled in on herself, shrinking as much as possible. She twitched in her sleep, her once calm expression contorted into one of pain. He was still considering what he ought to do when she began to whimper and he decided he should wake her and make sure she was alright.

He very carefully nudged her with the palm of his hand. “Kil, wake up, friend.” 

When she came awake she gasped and her eyes snapped open. Her eye darted around a moment as though she didn't know quite where she was and then she grimaced and clutched her blanket tightly. She hugged herself tight and hid her face. She tried to hide it from him but he heard her soft crying anyway. 

Frown deepening, he rubbed her back to sooth her, careful not to scrape her with his claws. “Are you okay?” 

She nodded slowly but she her whole body was shaking. “It’s- it's just a dream now. It-it can't hurt me...right?” 

The way she said it was so uncertain, so shaken, that nearly had him crying on his own. He swallowed and managed a nod. “That's right. You're safe here. No one is going to hurt you.” 

She managed to pull herself up then, rubbing at her eyes and staring vacantly into the fire. “Sorry about that...I guess I fell asleep.” 

Drakon frowned still, looking over her in concern. “Do you have nightmares often?” 

She nodded numbly. “Sometimes they're not too bad...just strange and leave a bitter taste but...it gets worse when I'm cold.”

Drakon hesitated a moment, not wanting to pressure her into getting into it but too concerned to just change the subject. “Do you want to talk about it?” 

She was quiet for a minute before she managed a shrug. “Lady Maader had a lot of ways of hurting people...more hurt than I thought I could take. Back in the Mariadel company she had these rooms...they were empty aside from ice cold water that went up to your ankles. They don't sound so scary at first but...the longer you're in them the colder and colder it gets.” 

She swallowed hard. “Sometimes she'd leave me in there ‘til I passed out. She did a lot of worse things to me but...when I remember what it was like, fighting to stay conscious, scared I'd finally made her so angry with me she'd let me die in there...it’s terrifying even now when I know I'm safe.” 

Drakon listened silently, his stomach turning: he'd heard a similar story from Sinbad but it did nothing to lessen how disturbing it all was. 

With the way they all acted it was so easy to forget where they came from. Sure, Kil was snippy and stubborn and often apologized for the strangest things but she never seemed to be overly scared either. Looking at her now though he wondered how often she woke up from a nightmare with no one to comfort her. 

How often must she feel broken and alone? 

“Oh Kil, I'm so sorry.” He really didn't know what else he could say. 

She shook her head. “It’s okay...I'm used to them by now. No matter how a nightmare is when I wake up now I'm safe here so...I think, for now at least, that's enough for me.”

Their conversation ended up shifting after that. They talked about this and that and mundane things until they were both feeling a little bit better. 

Once they were finally ready to turn in, Kil thanked him for his company and they shared an awkward embrace and excused themselves. 

After that Drakon felt a lot more protective over Kil; He'd said no one else would hurt her after all, he couldn't break his promise! He also felt a bit more trusted, the encounter reaffirming that he really did belong and these people were not afraid of him. 

As for Kil, she learned that she wasn't alone anymore. She wasn't the only one struggling. The more she got to know her coworkers, her friends and their families, the more she knew she'd be okay so as she stayed with the Sindria Trading Company.


End file.
